McGregor Mountain Blog

The past couple of weeks has been pretty standard summer fare! The tourists are enjoy all the park and town have to offer, the thunderstorms make their daily appearance, the flowers are beautiful, and the bears have been making their rounds. This year, however, they seem to be a bit more active. Maybe they have some sixth sense that is telling them to get especially fat this year in preparation for a long hard winter. Or maybe they are just wanting to be annoying and troublesome! Either way, they are fun to have around as long as they don’t get into any trouble!

Out of the few that have been around, the big momma is that one that seems to wreak the most havoc. Here is her latest bit of work:

But she didn’t get into the dumpster! I guess it made her mad!

And, as I have said all summer, the flowers this year are truly spectacular. At the higher elevations, they have already come and gone, and Autumn is actually starting to show through the colors of the tundra, and even in some of the grasses near timberline. But here in the lower elevations, they are still blooming in full force. I’ve made good use of the Lumpy Ridge Trail and some trails in the forest on the east side of town, just to enjoy the wild flowers! We even went out and picked about 5 cups of wild raspberries and made some incredible raspberry jam from our pickings! This is a glorious time to be in Colorado!

And the reason for putting snow in the title; there was actually a light dusting of snow above, what looked like, around 13,000 feet this morning. Fall is on it’s way! Another perfect time to visit the area… elk bugling and the gold of the aspen leaves dotting the mountainsides. If you can, get up here, it is and is going to be spectacular!

As spring nears, little signs start to show themselves. A green tuft of grass here and there, more numerous birds, a little more daylight, and bull elk suddenly without antlers!! Both Lefty and Little Boy are now antlerless! I may be imagining things, but they seem happy to have the weight off their heads and seem to walk with a lighter step. Brat still has his antlers as does another large bull that has been hanging around lately. I’m sure they will lose theirs shortly.

We have had some incredible weather as of late. Today it feels like winter again with breezy, cold conditions and a side of flurries. But we’re supposed to be in the upper 40’s again tomorrow, with nothing but glorious sunshine. With the fresh snow in the mountains, this weekend should be great for snowshoeing or just coming up for a relaxing weekend away! If you’re on the fence, book now, we only have a couple of cabins open!

And just an FYI for those coming up soon… The park service has been conducting a controlled burn across the valley on the slopes of Deer Mountain. Not to worry, they do this in the park every year as a way to keep the forests healthy.

Hope to see you soon!

Michael